Josien Scholing

Arizona State University in Phoenix, AZ, United States

ASU is known for their very good PPE programme as well as their security courses being one of the best in the country. So I mostly finished my major with courses like policy-making, comparative politics and homeland security. I also followed one course for my minor, namely on the history of African-Americans in the US, which was obviously very interesting to discuss with Americans themselves. This course inspired me to finish my Year 3 project in the US, researching the inherent racism in the US criminal justice system together with three students that I had met in this class. All of these courses were taught by fantastic teachers and the environment was mostly small-scale and interactive, so I definitely enjoyed it very much. The support I got for my project was also very good (a little inspiring too).

It is important that you choose the destination based on the university as well as the location. The combination of the two is going to decide how you’re going to spend your time on exchange, so it is important that you feel comfortable with both of them. Try to find a university that is well-known for the topics you want to study and that the location is fitting to you. Trying new things and learning new cultures can be a bit scary, so make sure you are excited to go to the location as well as the uni.

What is the most valuable thing you learned while on exchange?

My project was on racism in the US, which obviously shook my mind almost every day I worked on it. But when it comes to something that you really learn on exchange that you could not have learned elsewhere, it is probably knowledge about yourself. By being in an unfamiliar state, with unfamiliar people and unfamiliar habits, you learn how you personally adapt to these situations and how you handle problems that come up. Give yourself the chance to settle down and find your place and try to learn as much as you can.

Would you recommend students to go on exchange?

Definitely! I hesitated about going myself because it is always a very busy period when you have to start applying for exchange, so I was worried I wouldn’t have enough time. However, it was such an amazing experience that I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is studying.

What are the plans for after graduation?

I’ll be studying a masters in the field of international security. I’m not sure where yet, because it mostly depends on financial support. If scholarships are on the table, I might be studying in the UK in Manchester or London. If not, I’ll probably go to The Hague or Amsterdam.